NEWARK NATIONAL LITTLE LEAGUE: Newark National's David Hawtof looks to turn a double play during the second inning on Sunday. Newark lost to Philadelphia's Taney Youth Baseball Association
Little League team 8-0 in the Mid-Atlantic final at Breen Field. Bill Shettle/Special to The News Journal

Delaware lost to Philadelphia's Taney Youth Baseball Association Little League tean 8-0 in the Mid-Atlantic final at Breen Field. With the win, Taney secured a spot in the Little League World Series.

Last season, Newark National became the second Delaware team to earn such a berth.

"Even though we have four kids that were on the other side of the equation last year, it stinks," Newark manager Tim Bush said.

Newark's best chance at cracking the scoreboard came in the sixth inning, but a double play ended the game.

Newark was stymied by Taney starting pitcher Mo'ne Davis. She held the Delaware batters to three hits while striking out six in a complete game effort.

"Yeah, it would be Mo'ne," Bush said when asked what Pennsylvania did best Sunday night. "She was on. She was in control of the game from start to finish."

This was the second time in the regional that Newark faced Davis. She led Taney to an 8-4 win on Aug. 3.

"I thought we prepared for her very well," Bush said. "She likes to throw the ball up in the zone. … Her curveball really wasn't working to a great extent the first game, but it really was working today.

"She shut it down."

Pennsylvania got to Newark's starting pitcher AJ Blanchard for four runs on five hits in the first inning.

Jared Sprague-Lott drove in the first run for Taney on a double. Zion Spearman and Jack Rice followed with a pair of RBI infield singles, stretching the Pennsylvania advantage to 3-0. Taney caught Newark sleeping on a routine throw back to Blanchard with a steal of home plate, scoring the final run of the frame.

Pennsylvania added to its lead with two more runs in the second. Sprague-Lott was once again in the middle of things as he hit a two-run single up the middle, putting Newark in a 6-0 hole at the time.

Delaware was in trouble in the fourth as Pennsylvania had the bases loaded with two outs. But Blanchard got Hendricks out on a strikeout and a runner was called out for leaving early on a potential Sprague-Lott sacrifice fly, ending the threat.

But Newark didn't take advantage of the opportunity, as it went 1-2-3 in the fifth inning.

Pennsylvania added two more runs in the fifth, putting the game out of reach.